Servicemembers United is proposing what it calls [pdf] a “Set End Date/Delayed Implementation” (SEDI) Model that would unfold over an 18-month time frame, locking in a date for full repeal while still allowing the Pentagon working group to proceed with the implementation review process initiated by Department of Defense secretary Robert Gates.

Nicholson said his group decided to make a public push for the strategy because they do not believe the current House bill, the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (MREA), could garner the necessary support since it allows only 90 days for DOD to set forth new regulations upon passage.

“A lot of different elements within the LGBT and progressive communities had been holding out for full and immediate repeal which has been embodied in the Military Readiness Enhancement Act,” said Nicholson. “We have been arguing throughout 2009 that that is not attainable right now – that you’re not going to get repeal until you get Pentagon support and you’re not going to get Pentagon support until you delay implementation.”

This is good, and I think having one of the lead groups presenting this, especially a group that knows how the military thinks and talks, gives us an opportunity to build on the momentum of the last two weeks. It’s important to note that HRC has already said they’d be fine with this approach, and SLDN has also been pushing for a vote this year.

John AravosisFollow me on Twitter: @aravosis | @americablog | @americabloggay | Facebook | Instagram | Google+ | LinkedIn. John Aravosis is the Executive Editor of AMERICAblog, which he founded in 2004. He has a joint law degree (JD) and masters in Foreign Service from Georgetown; and has worked in the US Senate, World Bank, Children's Defense Fund, the United Nations Development Programme, and as a stringer for the Economist. He is a frequent TV pundit, having appeared on the O'Reilly Factor, Hardball, World News Tonight, Nightline, AM Joy & Reliable Sources, among others. John lives in Washington, DC. John's article archive.